Production Slipcasting - Tiki Technical Tuesday 37 

Thank you! I’m looking forward to getting a final glaze on one so I can take it for a test drive 😄

Thank you for watching!

You're very welcome!

Thank you for watching!

Thank you so much!

Thank you for watching!

Thank you!!

Thank you so much 😀

Thanks!

Thank you very much!

Thank you!

Thank YOU for watching!

Thanks! thank you for watching!

Thank YOU for watching!

So glad you found me! Thanks for watching!

Thank you for watching! I’m just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to how complex of a shape you can make with Slipcasting 😄

@@vantikistudio Then i shall continue researching! thanks for being the tip of the iceberg :-D

🧐

That is an excellent question! You can indeed reclaim all the trimmed bits and use them to cast new pieces. To be honest, I don't do it. Why? Well, time and space. I'd need a second slip tank to throw the trimmed bits into. If I threw them into my main slip tank it would throw off the moisture and chemical balance of the tank. Every few days I'd balance the moisture and deflocculant level of the realm tank, then pour their balanced slip back into the main slip tank. I don't have the space in my studio for a second tank, and I don't choose to allocate the time to reclamation. In the end, slip is one of my least expensive materials, so I put my time and space over reclaiming trimmed bits.

@@vantikistudio thankyou, makes sense, happy slip casting xx

Thank you!

Ha! My system isn’t foolproof. Sometimes I do sleepy math and flub the count 😂

It all depends on the slip. Mine is a Laguna Clay slip, and I mix it following their directions. I’ve used slips made by other companies and some of them have been thicker. I like the slip to flow well, so it captures details and won’t trap bubbles.

Thank you so much for watching! Here’s a link for the pliers: Snap Ring Pliers (for opening molds) amzn.to/2YY0WtD And hopefully the video I just posted on making slip answers your specific gravity questions and helps your castings. Best of luck!

Pete you are always welcome to work in the studio - you just need to bring your own poly foam and Fastflex™️ 😂

Haha, nevermind, I just scrolled down through the comments and saw that someone else already asked! 🤣👍

Ha! Yeah - as you saw, it is possible to recycle. I’d need a separate slip mixing tank to pull it off, to avoid throwing my casting batch of slip out of balance

Good question! I talk about the reasons here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-s_st3s5GKzY.html And I will also be talking about it in next week's Tiki Technical Tuesday

It’s a Big Puddle slip table

I could have done a plug like I did on the puka pounder - but I wanted the top cap to be very smooth and machined - and it would be difficult to keep it crisp with a mold edge in the area that needed to be seamed. As to pouring through the opening on the back, I worry that I'd catch air bubbles in the piece - I try to keep the pour hole at the highest point of the mug. I probably could have pulled it off pouring through the back with some well placed vent holes - but I'm committed to the top cap now :)

It is technically reusable - but I don’t add it back to my slip tank as that would require constant balancing to make sure the slip was properly hydrated. Time is money 😄

@@vantikistudio Ah that makes sense! Yes, I feel ya, we don't need more on the schedule mate, I know the feeling! And it's all natura; anyway - not like it will pollute (I had that problem with my waste when I worked with plastic resins :( )

Hello! You can cast cement into silicone molds - but it will stick to plaster molds. I know that Smooth On makes specific silicone and urethane for casting cement (as cement is very abrasive and can wear out molds quickly). I’d give them a call and talk to them about what you plan on casting. Good luck!

@@vantikistudio Thanks brother, Their product is very good i bought it once and the mold had like 50 casts and still going but its very expensive here in Israel

It could! I know folks who hold power tools like that against their work tables to help get rid of bubbles

I’ll take a look - the rubber kidney I use to clean the clay flashing out of the molds is gentle and quick - it would be a tough tool to beat!

The grey ceramic slip (clay) turns white as it dries, and is pure white after baking in the kiln

@VanTiki okay thank you very much

@VanTiki please can l have your number so that we can talk backdoor about the ceramics work

@@emmanuellalinaasuakoh9886 you can message me on Instagram or Facebook, but all the info I can offer is here on my RU-vid channel.

The videos may skew the perception of how much time I spend on R&D and how much time I spend on production. Production almost never stops, and I squeeze in R&D when I can.

Well, let’s just say it takes a lot of time 😄 - there is no such thing as rushing in ceramics 😂

I have three L&L kilns. 2 EZ fire 23T kilns and a small doll kiln. I HIGHLY recommend L&L kilns, and venting is A MUST. It vastly improves your firing results, and the gasses put out during firing are bad for you, and are best vented away

@@vantikistudio Thank you so much for your quick reply!!! You are awesome!

Happy to be “sort of interesting” 😂

Technically I could add it back to the casting slip, but I’d have to re-adjust the slip to get the specific gravity just right. For me, time is more costly than slip, so I just toss the scraps.

@@vantikistudio i understand. Or you could collect them for next time you fill the slip tank with fresh clay powder.

good question! Sometimes a puff of compressed air can help with a stubborn piece - I also use mold opening pliers to aid with molds that have stuck - these pliers are meant for automotive use, but I first learned about them making (and opening) molds in the special FX industry: Snap Ring Pliers (for opening molds): amzn.to/2YY0WtD

Thank you for watching! I go into detail about the slip table in this video: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-dmj7XiOd1K4.html

My slip table is no longer being made, I do know folks who have built them from scratch - but there are still manufacturers who make smaller slip tables. I used a pitcher and buckets for many years, and know how messy it can be!

this is true! Same thing will happen if you fire clay that isn't completely dry - the water will turn to steam, expand, and the piece will blow up!

@@vantikistudio I forgot about that part. Thank you for reminding me. Once this pandemic is over my pottery classes start.

You can see me dial in the final glaze for the mugs here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-jM9DRlITih0.html

It’s ceramic casting slip - I explain the process here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-2tU6sBD9r_I.html

You can see how I sculpted the original master here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-F9G0WAUeS8c.html

@@vantikistudio thank you very much, i just saw them all❤️‍🔥 your content is incredibly useful. I’m seeking to have a mold of my futur bootle. And that is really useful. Can you make a video for all the prices of your materials?

Its possible to do it - but I don't. I'd need to rebalance the water levels in my slip tank and it would be too time consuming. If I ever get a second slip mixing tank I'll use it for scrap recycling.

Aloha! Are you using pottery plaster to make your molds? Another thought is are you using some sort of release agent when casting your plaster molds? I never use a release when casting the plaster production molds in the silicone master as the release will affect the plaster’s ability to slip cast. As to how often you can cast a mold before it becomes too waterlogged to work properly, it depends on the humidity of your environment. I can cast once a day for two days in a row, then I give the molds a day off under a fan. Folks in dryer climates can cast multiple times in a day with no issues. Hope this helps!

Hey! Thanks for the reply! Mold release crossed my mind but I thought "It can't be the mold release because that Van Tiki guy uses lots of mold release"... but failed to consider that you only apply it for the master mold and not the production molds that you make from the silicone molds. It blows my mind that you go all the way to the silicone molds before you test the mold! It's very impressive that it just works... that's experience ha. I did that once in the summer (in a way) by 3D modeling the 5 mold parts, SLA 3D printing them, silicone casting the 3D prints, and finally making the first plaster mold set. The process took weeks. In the end, I would say the process was a total success, but my inexperience in mold making itself resulted in them not really being useful... so a waste of $60 in resin and $120 in silicone and lots of work..ha! But I guess I learned a lot. After reading your post I washed the molds again, this time with vinegar and then water (read that somewhere online) and put them in my wife's kiln for 24 hrs at 130 °F... it was MUCH better! I was able to remove the piece with only minor issues. Good to know that you have to give them a break every other day. I am in the Portland OR area and my wife's studio is in our basement. I need to also check the humidity down there. Thanks for your help!

Good question!! I describe slip in detail here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-dmj7XiOd1K4.html

Good question! I just so happen to have the perfect playlist answer: ru-vid.com/group/PLVz2HhcJdyqhu-FK2MizsomT6AWiT-Dvm&si=PXJ_HVzV82-B0d0f

Again - no idea what piece you are talking about. If it’s the Dead Bastard mug - it IS functional art (it’s a mug, silly!) - but honestly art doesn’t need to have a function; it’s ability to move a viewer IS its function.

Aloha! The material I pour in is ceramic slip - you can learn more about it here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-2tU6sBD9r_I.html And the molds are made of pottery plaster, you can see me make them here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-s_st3s5GKzY.html

Thanks you very much!

It’s a tiki mug or exotica mug used for drinking tropical cocktails. There is a long history of decorative ceramic cocktail ware that falls under the often confusing label of “mug”. I have examples of the finished piece in my Instagram feed @vantiki

Thanks for watching! I talk more about my slip table here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-dmj7XiOd1K4.html

What stuff do you mean?

@@vantikistudio The silt.i sticks to my molds. I used a stiff brush to get it off but it kinda scratches the molds. The overflow and some sticks to the inside. Is there a better way to get it off? I heard you shouldn't rinse them with water.

Do you mean the master sculpture that I molded to do the slipcasting? That was done in a wax based clay called Monster Clay

Ok thank you so u made it by yourself or you buy it from shop?

I’m afraid we don’t take outside commissions - I can barely keep up with our own studio work 😄

Do you mean the mug I’m slipcasting? It’s a cocktail mug in the shape of a lava lamp

@@vantikistudio oh ok.. Very cool 👍

Sorry, I don’t have any suggestions

Definitely! It is the spirit in the magma!

Not sure if I recorded this his before or after I purchased a better microphone. It’s tough getting good audio in a working studio 😄

Ha! Yes, a straw is required, but don’t come after me for calling it a mug - I didn’t invent the term “tiki mug” or “cocktail mug” 😄 - besides, there is a joy in making a drinking vessel as interesting as the beverage it holds